Cross Country Trail

Epic EVO

Take a look around our office and you’re going to see plenty Epics—most of them wearing dropper posts, wider tires and bars, and slightly longer forks. That’s because the Epics that we’re Frankensteining are not only fast off the start line, they’re even better suited to masochistically long rides, multi-day stage races, and fast backcountry missions.

At some point, we looked around and said to ourselves… “We should offer this bike, right out of the box, right ?” So we did. This isn’t to disparage today’s “standard” Epic, which upped the XC ante with a truly progressive geometry and a smoother, more responsive Brain shock. The Epic EVO, however, features the same efficient and lightweight chassis, albeit with some features for, well, bigger features. You’re going to find a fork with 120mm of travel, a dropper post, wider bars, and meatier tires, so you’ll get some much-needed control when you’re redlining it, or for when the dreaded bonk is on the horizon and nothing but steep, chunky bits of trail loom before you.

Can you race this thing ? Absolutely.

The EVO still tears a race course to ribbons, but it’s also perfectly equipped for high-speed, backcountry missions. Think of it as a more “epic” Epic.

Better Traction & Manueverability

The trail suddenly takes a plunge. In a split second, every fiber of your being focuses on cleaning the kind of descent that keeps emergency rooms humming. The last thing you need to be wrestling with, right now, are tires that skimp on traction or a saddle that’s higher than Everest. That’s why we equipped all of our Epic EVO models with dropper posts, as well as a set of durable, traction-packed 2.3-inch Ground Control and Fast Trak tires.

More Control & Comfort

Suspension isn’t a one-size-fits-all proposition. A little longer fork goes a very long way when you’re deep into a ride. You know, when your energy is flagging and the trail keeps throwing rocks and roots your way? That’s why we’ve equipped Epic EVO models with forks that have 120mm of travel. We also kept the handlebar height low and racey, while adding a bit of width to the bars (they now measure 750mm). So now, you get more comfort and control when and where you need it most.

A Smarter Brain

Brain-equipped shocks give you more control and more speed. They do that by knowing the difference between your pedaling forces and terrain forces. In other words, the Inertia Valve inside the Brain keeps the Epic’s suspension firm when you’re pedaling over smooth terrain, and then it allows the suspension to become active the moment that things go from smooth to rough. And since last year, the Epic family has had our smartest Brain shock to date.
The reinvented Brain has been moved closer to the axle, which makes for suspension that’s even more responsive. Next, we reengineered the oil porting and flow paths to provide more consistent damping and performance. And finally, we switched over to a bladder system and made the Inertia and Spike Valves mainstays on the new Brain. End result? The smoothest suspension out there is even smoother, and its firm setting is even firmer.

The All-NEW Epic

We could’ve merely added one new piece of technology to the Epic and called it a day, but we adhere to the old “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” idea. So, instead, we threw everything we had at the all-new Epic, and made it the fastest XC bike you’ve ever ridden.

Lighter &: Faster ! Fast and flat, rowdy and technical, punchy and hard—no matter the course, the Epic is the best tool to get you to the top of the podium. Its design is all-new, and boy, oh boy is it fast.Tracks have changed over the past few years. And while hard-packed fireroads used to rule the XC roost, they’ve been replaced with technical singletrack and rock gardens, all while keeping racers going full gas and on the limit. So, to make sure that the new Epic is the best tool for topping the podium on these new courses, we completely redesigned the frame to be Rider-First Engineered™, developed a modern XC geometry, and created a new Brain rear shock and suspension platform.

Faster / Redesigned Frame

Longer reach, slacker head tube, and a custom fork offset create a better handling package. Climbing, descending, stability, and confidence are no longer afterthoughts.
Rider-First Engineered is a technology that we introduced with our Tarmac, and it brings unique layups and tube shapes for every frame size. This allows our engineers to set specific ride quality targets per size, so whether you’re a size Small or an X-Large, you’ll have the same intended ride experience without it being too stiff or riding like a wet noodle.That’s all fine and dandy, but here’s the impressive part. We were able to make a bike that holds a stiffness-to-weight number that can go toe-to-toe with any of the competition, while also cutting out 240 grams from the rear end (a 39% weight savings) and up to 525 grams out of the frame alone. Yes, you read that correct—525 grams out of the frame alone. That’s the equivalent of taking out an entire Brain shock, shock extension, a few headset spacers, and pivot hardware.

New Rear End

In a focused effort to make the Epic, hands down, the fastest XC bike out there, one of the main goals was to drastically reduce weight. In doing so, we removed pivots from the rear end of this new platform, and that decision saved us 240g (39% lighter) in the rear end alone. This, in combination with the new Brain, allowed us to make large improvements in overall performance, while also saving up to 525g in some frames. You can say that the new Epic is a single-pivot bike. We’ve designed engineered flex zones in the chain and seatstays, however, to emulate the performance of the FSR system. Being designed around a 1x drivetrain, our engineers were able to tune the platform to perform better under pedaling forces. And combined with the sensitivity of the new Brain, the Epic builds on the efficiency of its predecessor.

Removing pivots also makes for a stiffer rear end, and of course, this means better power transfer efficiency. We very much believe in the FSR system as an effective an efficient suspension design, though, so you’ll continue to see it throughout the rest of our mountain bikes.

The NEW Epic Hardtail

It wasn’t enough to make the lightest production hardtail available. We were determined to also make the most capable, comfortable, and versatile bike in its class. Spoiler alert: some of us got a bit obsessive along the way.

Lighter and More Capable Than Ever

Race courses have grown rougher, and in return, the Epic Hardtail has grown more capable. We gave the Epic more confident handling by slackening its head angle, reducing its fork offset, and increasing its reach. It all adds up to a race machine that remains nimble while boosting your control.

Proven, Reliable, and Simply Badass

The Epic Hardtail is the exception to the rule—a World Cup race rocket that’s also hassle-free. There are no proprietary, bolt-on bits and pieces to fret over. And yep, there’s a threaded bottom bracket here as well. Proven, reliable, and simply badass.

Tuned for Comfort. Tuned for Speed

A tired you isn’t a fast you, so we obsessed over the Epic’s composite layup to make it more forgiving and even faster over technical trails. Precisely shaped tubes, including smaller-diameter seatstays and an arced seat tube, also increase vertical compliance without sacrificing sprinting speed.

More Versatile Than Ever Before

We boosted tyre clearance, letting you run wider, more forgiving tires. While we were at it, we equipped the bike with a 30.9mm seatpost, so you have the option to run longer-travel dropper posts for even more maneuverability and control on technical descents.

Amazingly Light

We optimized every inch of this frame by fine-tuning the fiber and resin mix, as well as by custom-shaping every ply to eliminate unnecessary overwrap. End result? A remarkable frame that weighs less than *800 grams (S-Works, Size Medium).

CHISEL

You started planning weekends around rides, rearranged the garage to fit more gear, and have singletrack dreams. It’s official: you’re a mountain biker, and you need a bike that’s as ready to rip as you. That’s the Rockhopper Expert 1X, our most capable Rockhopper yet. We gave the A1 SL Aluminum frame on the Rockhopper Expert 1X a lighter, tighter look with tube shapes that are optimized for the lowest weight while preserving its legendary comfort. With clean lines and internal cable routing, turns out it looks as sweet as it rides.

D’Aluisio Smartweld

Consider it aluminum rethought for the future. Most models feature DSW, as it allows our engineers to move the weld joint away from the highest points of stress. This means your frame has a better balance of strength, stiffness, and weight.

XC Geometry for Today’s Trails

We took everything we know from the Epic Hardtail and applied it here, with a pioneering, modern trail geometry that features lower bottom bracket heights, slacker head angles, longer top tubes, and ridiculously short chainstays.

Less Weight, More Fun

It isn’t rocket science that a light bike is more fun to climb, and with our DSW construction, we were able to make the lightest possible alloy frame we could. Happy trails await.